Our Journey, Day 92

I've been thinking a lot about what I might do next, after my career at BSU ends in May. Yesterday, I actually began applying for jobs. I'm not a big fan of applying for jobs, but it's something I need to do. So I sent in my first complete online application for an Open Ed job in Wisconsin. Like all sales situations, I think applying for jobs is probably a numbers game. Being the best qualified person for the job isn't necessarily the only factor. There's usually a spectrum of traits and abilities that will help someone achieve the goals described in a job description, and it's not always clear which of the goals are really the most important in the context of the actual position. Also, there's often a local candidate that has an inside track, despite the requirement to do a wider search. All these unknowns can be mitigated somewhat, I think, by throwing a lot of pasta against the kitchen wall and waiting to see what sticks. It certainly doesn't pay to wait with bated breath for a response to every inquiry or application.

So I'll be beginning to send out a lot of inquiries and applications. I've updated my CV again. It's a bit weird, combing through the things I've done over the past few years, to put together a bragging list. It's actually a bit if a challenge remembering all the things I ought to brag about. But the list has to stand in for the person, at least until the person can get a face-to-face. It's frustrating that I tend to second-guess the list or the cover-letter, after I’ve sent it. Did I say that the right way, to get my point across? Almost like the anxiety people get, waiting for a response on social media. Will I get "likes"? The only solution, I think, is to lean into the numbers game. Be the dandelion, as Neil Gaiman, Cory Doctorow, and Amanda Palmer said. Broadcast seeds and then ignore them. Good advice, I think; but hard to do.